ISLAMABAD: Like the monsoon rains, rainfall during the winters will also be less than normal, the met office has said, which is worrisome for farmers, especially those in the barani areas.

The final monsoon report issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department says the total rainfall in the country from July 1 to Sept 29 this year has been 23pc lower than normal.

The most serious drop in precipitation during the three months of monsoon was in Balochistan where it rained 38pc less than normal followed by Azad Jammu and Kashmir with a 31pc drop, a 20pc drop in Punjab, 17pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 16 pc in Sindh and 14pc in Gilgit Baltistan.

The situation in GB was relatively better due to a 24pc above normal rainfall during September while the rest of the country remained dry during the same month when it is usually marked by isolated heavy showers in the third and fourth weeks.

“The situation changed unexpectedly not only in the country but in the whole of South Asia due to the La-Nina development,” an official of the met office said.

The El-Nino effect develops in the summers while the La-Nina effect develops due to cool winds in the South-East Pacific ocean. La-Nina has resulted in a warmer than normal temperature in South Asia which has reduced the chances of rainfall in the region during the winters.

“The early forecast suggests that the La-Nina effect will be weak this season and will fizzle out by the end of December,” he said.

Though rainfall is expected in the middle of next week, precipitation will be below normal in the last three months of this year.

This will be stressful for farmers as the sowing of wheat crops will be affected in the first quarter, especially in the barani or rain-fed areas of Punjab and KP.

Due to low rainfall in Murree during monsoon, the spillways of Rawal Lake were opened only once in July, August and September.

“According to the standard operating procedures, the water level was to be maintained at 1,750.5 feet and the water gates were opened for a few hours during the Eidul Azha holidays during the first week of September,” an official of the Punjab Irrigation Department said.

However, despite the low rainfall, the water situation in the twin cities was satisfactory and even Rawal Lake filled to its capacity at 1,750.2 feet.

The lake supplies around 24 million gallons of water a day to Rawalpindi for irrigation and human consumption and the one foot of water is sufficient for a month’s supply.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2017